60+ Stunning New Ways Decorate Your Christmas Tree Our Christmas decorating guide is packed with clever tricks and chic holiday tips to spread plenty of cheer this Christmas season. Save our best Christmas decoration ideas for later! Don't forget to follow Country Living on Pinterest for more Christmas ideas. A Colorful EntrywayA Colorful EntrywayStockings, colorful ornaments, and plenty of wrapped presents liven up the entryway of this Tennessee home. 12 '90s Decor Trends You Didn't Know You Missed20 Ways to Dress Up Plain Christmas Ornaments Wake up your Christmas tree with creatively embellished ornaments. 25+ Simple Christmas Centerpieces Gorgeous Christmas centerpieces don't need to take a lot of time or expensive... Holiday Decorating Ideas for Small Spaces There's no need to downsize your holiday expectations with a small space to... Clever Santa Craft That Starts as a Mug Make this adorable Santa craft that starts as a Jolly Old St. Nick mug and end...

Take a pretty glass container, glue bits of greenery around it, and set candle... How to Decorate for Christmas with Cranberries Cranberries and Christmas are like peanut butter and jelly -- meant to go...easy diy wall decor projects Make a pretty Christmas ornament craft -- cheap! decorating ideas for brown bedroomWe'll show you how to combine...wall decor for small bedroom Tuck pieces of wet floral foam into two pots, add a bit of greenery and some...what is the best paint for my deck 10 Real-Life Homes for Christmas Decorating Inspirationbest exterior paint gray

Feast your eyes on this awe-inspiring roundup of beautiful Christmas decoratin... Which Holiday Scent are You? Ornaments for Any Style Holiday Decor that Lasts from Thanksgiving to Christmasdiy home decor ideas tumblr Keep your decor fresh throughout the holiday season with our easy tips and... Simple Ways to Decorate for Christmas Try these quick and easy ideas to make your home sparkle for the holiday season. Pretty Christmas Flower Arrangements Add one of these pretty Christmas floral arrangements to your holiday decor.... Gorgeous Holiday Place Settings Ready to set your prettiest holiday table ever? We're here to help! Fun and Festive Christmas Color Schemes Break out of the red and green rut with pretty Christmas color schemes that... Decorate Your Mantel for Christmas Let these beautiful mantel arrangements turn your fireplace into an...

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In winter the stars seem to have rekindled their fires, the moon achieves a fuller triumph, and the heavens wear a look of a more exalted simplicity. ~John Burroughs, “The Snow-Walkers,” 1866 “It was a thing of beauty and was sent to live its life as an ornament” (From “The Young Birch,”  by Robert Frost) I am a passionate decorator. Whether I am  in the house or out in the garden, I am happiest when I am creating or  decorating something.  In the summer, I am all about the garden.  In the winter I am all about the home and the garden!  Even as we prepare for the holidays, right up to the first snow, we are still cleaning up the garden, dealing with enormous amounts leaves, and planting bulbs and seeds. Lucky for us we have a very small yard! I love to study decorating trade magazines, shops and houses just as much as I love gardening books, garden shops and garden tours.  What I love most about it is that I love to see how people express themselves with their home décor and their personal style, especially  when people turn the ordinary into extraordinary, with the simpliest twist.  

Incorporating stylish trends,  with tried and true traditions, is my all time favorite design strategy.  Of course,  the winter holidays are a perfect time to incorporate the inside with the outside.  It is amazing when you think about it.  All seasonal decor, whatever the season, incorporates the elements of the outdoors. It seems birch is a major decorating trend again this year. Home decor blogs, trade magazines, and shops ranging from garden to gift shops are all featuring this natural wonder. This year I am expanding my theme on bringing the outdoors in.  I have tripled my collection of birch branches, and thanks to my favorite assistant, Jeff, who helps me forage through the woods and lug these treasures home, I have them all cut up perfectly for my displays. Come along,  I’ll show you my version of a natural holiday theme. A natural theme also includes living things. I couldn’t resist this succulent tree. If I can keep it alive, I am going to copy it next year and give it as gifts!

Succulents were the “it” plant of this past summer,  and I had good luck with them. So how could I resist? I also love a signature holiday look.  Red cyclamen is so festive and really sets the tone for a Christmas theme.  You can just add cyclamen to any room, in a decorative cachepot, and you have instant holiday style. I have them throughout my house and I use them every year. I am also trying to grow, red lion amaryllis  bulbs,  for the first time.  One of my friends has them throughout her house blooming throughout the season. She pots them up in stages every week or so. They start blooming before Christmas and continue through New Years and beyond. Traditional decorating offers comfort to the eye and order for a well dressed room.  As a collector of such a variety of  things, it is important to keep the structure of traditional  design, especially for an abundant display, so it won’t be cluttered.  I like a casual yet elegant mood for my surroundings, and I believe there is also always room for a bit of whimsey.

And lastly,  how could I talk about home décor and style, without a little tribute to our beloved cat, Beau. She was our very favorite home accessory ~ pure love! Whatever room she was in was filled with the hum of her purr and her soft, sweet, loving personality. We are all feeling lonely for her and sometimes the grief is overwhelming, but  we are happy knowing that she lived a really special life, and we are beyond grateful we had her for so long (17 1/2 years!). We have very sweet memories, and will always think of her as our standout cat; she will be in our hearts forever.  She did leave us with a gift that I would love to share with you.  The day she died, I went to have a photo of her developed that I had just taken a couple of days before, when she was purring away in the sun. Notice that sweet nose ~  a heart!  We had never noticed her perfectly heart-shaped nose. That little heart has been very comforting to us all. Thank you for coming by my blog today. I hope you come back soon.